WVU Today

 West Virginia University President Gordon Gee and Board of Governors Chair William Wilmoth issued the following statements Friday on the announcement from Colorado State University that it had selected WVU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joyce McConnell as the finalist for its 15th president:

President Gordon Gee:

Eight undergraduate students, mostly from the Appalachian region, will come to West Virginia University each of the next three summers to conduct state of the art robotics research, thanks to a more than $287,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

Under the direction of Yu Gu, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, the Research Experiences for Undergraduates site will provide training, mentorship and support to undergraduate students so that they can become independent researchers. Joining Gu on the project as mentors are Powsiri Klinkhachorn, professor of computer science and electrical engineering, and Assistant Professor Jason Gross and Associate Professor Guilherme Pereira from mechanical and aerospace engineering. 

West Virginia University John Chambers College of Business and Economics will expand its Finance University, a financial literacy conference open to primary and secondary educators across the state, thanks to a grant from Next Gen Personal Finance to the Center for Financial Literacy and Education. 

A nationally renowned organization dedicated to financial literacy, NGPF’s goal is to ensure that 100 percent of students leave high school financially capable by 2030.

When their family members struggle with substance use disorders, children bring experiences of neglect, trauma and often, mental health issues into the classroom, creating challenging environments for their teachers. Researchers at West Virginia University have evaluated the impact of the opioid crisis in classrooms across the Mountain State through a survey of 2,205 teachers in 49 counties. 

The study, conducted by three scholars from the WVU College of Education and Human Services – Sara Anderson, assistant professor in the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development; Jessica Troilo, associate professor in the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development; and Frankie Tack, addiction studies minor coordinator and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Psychology – blends Anderson and Troilo’s expertise in child development and family systems with Tack’s background in the field of addiction. 

 Four exceptional faculty members at West Virginia University have been named 2018-2019 Benedum Distinguished Scholars in recognition of the high caliber of their research and scholarly activity:

• Duncan Lorimer, professor of Physics and Astronomy and associate dean for research, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

 West Virginia University has been selected as a recipient of the 2019 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. The award, given by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, recognizes institutions of higher learning that have made significant strides in internationalizing their campuses. WVU is one of five institutions recognized in 2019 with the award.

“Receiving the Senator Paul Simon Award is a tremendous honor for West Virginia University,” said William Brustein, Vice President for Global Strategies and International Affairs. “The Simon Award is the gold-standard in internationalization and confirms that WVU is a truly international university. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty, and staff who have made WVU a leader in international education.”

  West Virginia University’s master’s program in public administration jumped 41 spots in the latest rankings of graduate programs by U.S. News and World Report released Tuesday (March 12), the most significant move among the nine programs and more than 10 specialties included in the rankings.

In all, 11 programs gained ground; additionally, 16 were among the top 100, led by Petroleum Engineering at 12th in the nation.

Tumult in the bacterial community that occupies your gut—known as your microbiome—doesn’t just cause indigestion. For people recovering from a stroke, it may influence how they get better.

A recent study by Allison Brichacek and Candice Brown, researchers in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, suggests that stroke patients’ microbiomes—and even the structure of their guts—may still be out of kilter a month after the stroke has passed. 

A panel of women who have demonstrated their abilities to lead and thrive in their respective areas of the business world will be the focus of the Distinguished Speaker Series at the West Virginia University John Chambers College of Business and Economics. The event, also sponsored by the WVU Women’s Business Center, is at Ming Hsieh Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 2.

The panel will feature Dee Ann Remo, CEO of Heritage Wealth Advisors; Anne Barth, Executive Director of TechConnect West Virginia; and Chelsea Ruby, Tourism Commissioner for the State of West Virginia. The panel discussion will be moderated by Virginia Kleist, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Research and Academic Operations at the Chambers College.

Kassandra Colón’s passion to cultivate inclusive spaces and improve cultural representation in the classroom has only grown through her experiences at West Virginia University. Her commitment to community engagement has led to her selection as a finalist for the prestigious Truman Scholarship, the premier award for those who are pursuing careers in public service.

Originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Colón is a junior triple-majoring in Latin American studies, women’s and gender studies and geography. She has worked with the Title IX office and as an orientation leader to further issues of cultural representation and to combat discrimination on campus. She is also working to help K-12 educators create diverse and inclusive classrooms by conducting a workshop on power, privilege and diversity at this year’s State Conference for Teachers of English Language Arts in West Virginia. Receiving a full-tuition scholarship from West Virginia University for her skills in debate, debate has motivated Colón since high school. 

Competing in the first-ever NCAA Championships final hosted by West Virginia University, the fourth-ranked Mountaineer rifle team finished second overall at the 2019 NCAA Rifle Championships with a two-day total of 4692, shot at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Coliseum.

Alumni, faculty, staff, students, retirees and their families are invited to West Virginia University Day at PNC Park as the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the St. Louis Cardinals July 24. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Two ticket options are available for purchase

The campaign for West Virginia University student body president and vice president ended Wednesday evening (March 6) as the Student Government Association Judicial Board announced Kate Dye and Madison Matheny, as president and vice president, respectively, for the 2019-20 academic year.

Dye is a junior chemistry major from Clarksburg and Matheny is a sophomore international studies and environmental geoscience major from Parkersburg. 

 In a sense, for many West Virginia University Extension Service agents, a normal work day is anything but. As an agent in one of West Virginia’s 55 counties, typical office hours could bring questions about invasive plant species or pests, canning questions, 4-H meetings and more — especially in counties where there are two, or sometimes only one, agent. The work doesn’t pause after work hours and on weekends. 

But, through that constant improvisation, time management and interaction with people, a sense of intense pride for county and state bubbles to the surface, allowing for large-scale problem solving and creativity that yields practical solutions to help entire communities from the ground up. 

 The West Virginia University College of Law has been named a top environmental law school for a second year. 

In its current issue, preLaw Magazine gives WVU College of Law a grade of A for the range of its energy and environmental law classes and related opportunities. Just 14 law schools in the nation score higher.

As the needs of those communities change so does the need for extension organizations to adapt to address the most pressing issues in those communities. In recent years, Cooperative Extension organizations have evolved to include a focus on tourism, enhanced youth development opportunities, community and economic development, and other important resources provided by colleges and universities. Meeting the ever-changing needs of these communities continues to be a challenging, yet necessary, evolution for 21st century land-grant institutions. 

Recently, West Virginia University President Gordon Gee and WVU Extension Service Dean Steven Bonanno, sat down with The Ohio State University’s Associate Dean and Director of Extension Roger Rennekamp and Stephen M. Gavazzi, professor of human development and family science, to discuss the future of cooperative extension organizations and the role they play in carrying out the mission of today’s land-grant universities. The article was recently featured in The Evolllution, an online newspaper focused on higher education.

The 2019 NCAA Rifle Championships will be held March 8-9 at the WVU Coliseum. Doors will open both days at 8:30 a.m. It's the first time an NCAA championship event has ever taken place on West Virginia University's campus.

Burkey and Marylou Lilly were proud graduates of West Virginia University. As the parents of three children, grandparents of five grandchildren and great grandparents to three great grandchildren, they valued education and service.

The couple decided that best way they could give back to the University and to the state was by providing future Mountaineers with the opportunity to pursue their dreams at WVU. Through an estate gift to the WVU Foundation, the couple established the Burkey and Marylou Lilly Scholarship. The first $10,000 scholarship will be awarded to a WVU student for the 2019-20 academic year.

A West Virginia University expert in the social determinants of health is exploring barriers that keep many West Virginians from eating healthy diets that can help protect against chronic disease. 

Lauri Andress, a professor in the School of Public Health, has been evaluating food access across the Mountain State since she arrived at WVU in 2013. In her work, “food security" refers to the environmental and socioeconomic conditions that facilitate the ability of all people in a region to secure and maintain access to affordable, safe, culturally appropriate and nutritious foods. 

Researchers at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute are evaluating a first-of-its-kind blood test for detecting colorectal cancer. Their findings may help propel the test toward inclusion in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations for colorectal cancer screening.  

The blood test, which the Food and Drug Administration recently approved, looks for an abnormal gene called SEPT9 associated with colorectal cancer. During the study, 300 women across West Virginia will volunteer to have their blood drawn and tested for the gene. If the test detects SEPT9, a healthcare provider will recommend that the patient undergo colonoscopy—a more invasive procedure that can both diagnose and treat colorectal cancers. In that procedure, a gastroenterologist inserts a tube into the colon and can remove precancerous growths or early cancers and take a sample of more advanced cases, explained WVU researcher Richard Goldberg.